European Adventure - July 2024 Photo: Main Square in Krakow, largest in Europe.
Just the Facts:
Cities to Visit: Warsaw Poland, Krakow Poland (4), Vienna Austria (3), Florence Italy (2), Bologna Italy, Ravenna Italy.
Travel Day - July 13, 2024 -- Tampa FL - Warsaw Poland
Our Swiss Air flight on Friday was canceled, so we began early Saturday morning with a United Airlines flight to ORD in Chicago then a direct LOT Polish Airline flight to Warsaw. We lucked out on premium seats on both new flights arriving in Warsaw on the following morning.
Day One - July 14, 2024 -- Warsaw Poland We arrived at about 9:00 am at
Frédéric Chopin International Airport and went through Polish Immigration easily and happily our three checked bags arrived soon afterward. We took a taxi ($18) to Hotel Polonia Palace. It is a very nice hotel and allowed us to check in early without charging us for the missed night due to the flight cancellation. We were in our nice room by 10:30 am and following a nice hot shower took a 3+ hour nap. At 3:00 pm we took a taxi to
Stare Miasto w Warszawie or the
Old Town (photo). It has been a UNESCO Heritage site since 1980 and is the location of the original Medieval settlement and the original City Walls from the 16th century. Since the weather was very nice there were many more locals than tourists enjoying the many Restaurants, Shops, Museums, the Town Square, Churches, and Public Buildings. This is certainly the beautiful Heart of the City. This area was my primary location to visit while here and it was a great day for it. We enjoyed our main meal in the Old Main Square at
Restauracja U Barssa in their outdoor pavilion. They served traditional Polish foods, DW ordered the Spinach & Feta Cheese Pierogi, and I ordered the
Kotlet schabowy smażony na smalcu z mangalicy or Fried Pork Cutlet and Salad. The cutlet was the size of the serving plate and the BEST I have ever experienced. I had not realized until I researched for this blog entry that our choice was a very highly-rated restaurant. We had the option of the Chopin Concert held daily at 6:30 in a local Palace but chose to leave Old Town and casually walk back to the hotel. We went down a long Boulevard closed to traffic (at least on a Sunday) and lined with large Government Buildings, Palaces, Parks, Restaurants, Museums, and various Street Artists. Once back at the hotel, I enjoyed two Pilsner Urquell beers on tap…rare to find my favorite beer on tap. We retired and hopefully will be acclimated to local time by morning. It was a great first day in Poland.
Day Two - July 15, 2024 -- Warsaw to Kraków Poland I woke only once during the night and slept well, waking at about 7:30 am and I think I have successfully acclimated to local time…it is six hours earlier than Florida time. I posted this blog, researched times for our train to Krakow today, and booked us on the 9:41 am train. We quickly packed and then walked the few blocks to the train station. We had nice 1st class seats ($98) for the smooth 2+ hour direct train arriving at about noon. Due to the early heat, we took an overpriced taxi to our hotel arriving after 12:30. We are staying for four nights at the
Hotel Polski Pod Białym Orłem. Fortunately, our room was ready as check-in is normally at 3:00 pm. The building is a former 16th Century Palace located just inside the Main Gate to the historic Old Town. We met William, the first black person we have seen in Poland, and he is from Tampa, here studying hospitality in school...small world. After dropping our bags in our room we walked the 5+ minutes down to the Main Square, supposedly the largest in Europe, to the Sukiennice
Restaurant for lunch. I basically ordered the same as yesterday for comparison. The pork cutlet was even larger and tasted better. Amazing and it came with Lemon, Pickled Potatoes, plus Sauerkraut & Pickles for the table. The bonus was Pilsner Urquell on tap. I couldn’t eat it all. As it was hot on this warm day we returned to the cool comfort of our hotel room for a wee nap. At about 8:00 pm we went back out and the Old Town was now very busy in the cooler weather. We went to Chimney Cake Bakery for a special indescribably wonderful dessert then walked down to the Main Square again enjoying the sights and sounds of various activities (photo). All the outdoor restaurants were busy and a lot of street Musicians were entertaining. Most shops stay open late as well. A much better impression of Old Town than from earlier in the day. We got back to the hotel after 10:00 pm and found Bloomberg News, an English-speaking TV channel, to catch up on the recent dramatic events in America. Updated the blog and planned our museum visits before retiring after midnight. It was a great day in Krakow Poland.
Day Three - July 16th, 2024 -- Kraków Poland We had a 9:00 am entry ticket to tour the
Wawel Royal Castle so we were out at about 8:00 for the walk to the opposite side of the Old Town. We stopped along the way for street pretzels and arrived before opening. I ordered three sets of tickets to visit three different areas and we were the first to enter the level one area at opening. You see various art collections and displays in the many Castle Chambers. Between tours one and two we enjoyed refreshments in the outdoor courtyard. Tour two on the upper levels was more of the same but primarily Polish National displays and collections. The third tour was of the Castle Treasury. After almost three hours we began the return walk across the Old Town stopping at
Pierogarnia Krakowiacy. They serve traditional Polish food specializing in Polish dumplings. The food was excellent, the DW ordered the Ruskie Pirogies and I had the Meat Cabbage Rolls in Tomato Sauce. The portions were huge as well as delicious. We were back at the hotel by 1:00 for rest and a nap. At about 3:30 I went to the
Czartoryski Museum located next to our hotel. They have acquired many collections over the years including items from the Palace that is now our hotel. A very eclectic collection of Art, Military items, Polish history, and more. The most renowned painting at the Museum is one of Leonardo da Vinci's best-known works from 1490, the
Lady with an Ermine (photo). Our hotel Bar & Restaurant keeps the theme and is named the Ermine. An afternoon rain cooled the weather so at about 6:30 I strolled down to the
Sukiennice Restaurant in the Main Square. I knew they had my special beer and I wanted to compare the Cabbage Rolls. Sukiennices were smaller in size but served with Mashed Potatoes and perhaps more flavorful. I love the Polish food. Not as much activity in the Square tonight but I enjoyed the two accordion musicians while dining. I stopped at a store to buy water and Coca-cola then back to Hotel Polski for the evening. It was a cultural day in Kraków.
Day Four - July 17th, 2024 -- Auschwitz Day — Kraków Poland We were up early for our 6:30 excursion meeting time to visit and tour the Auschwitz-Birkenau WWII era former German Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camps. We arrived at Auschwitz in time for our scheduled 8:30 am Guided Tour. The tour itself is designed so that you innocently experience the arrival of detainees years ago. Once you clear security you are escorted into the Cloak Room that is representative of a Gas Chamber (lost on most visitors). All communication is by the Guides via headphones and you’re instructed not to talk and be respectful. You then proceed through passageways to the Camp near the famous entry sign Arbeit Macht Frei. Once inside you're taken into several Block Houses with displays of eyeglasses, housewares, luggage, hair, and more taken from the detainees before being marched to the gas chambers. It’s a very emotional experience overall. There are a lot of books and movies documenting the horrors of these Extermination Camps I recommend watching/reading them before you visit. This part of the tour is just over an hour. Birkenau was built during the war and a much larger Camp is about 3 miles away. The entry by rail cars is well documented here. Visiting Auschwitz is a must-do in this area of Poland. After the one hour+ drive back we were dropped near the Old Town at about 1:00 pm. We walked to Restauracja Galicyjska located near our hotel in a candle-lit cellar. Nice atmosphere and perfect following that excursion. DW ordered a Salad and I had the Honey-Tomato-Beer Battered Braised Pork Ribs with tiny Baked Potatoes & a Summer Slaw. It was a good dinner. It was now a much-needed nap time. At about 7:30 the weather was nice and cool so we went on a walkabout. I stopped at a Leather Shop and had a custom belt made for myself. Then we had a simple meal of Pizza and a Hamburger in an outdoor location near the City Gate. We walked down to the Main Square and then retired to the hotel. I worked on this Blog, booked excursions for tomorrow, and then watched Bloomberg TV until midnight. It was a very memorable day visiting Auschwitz.
Day Five - July 18th, 2024 -- Kraków Poland I woke early but well-rested. I posted this Blog and reviewed news from home this morning. We went to the very popular
MilkBar for breakfast just after it opened at 8:00 am. DW ordered Sweet Pancakes (Crepes) and I had Scrambled Eggs with Bacon (European). The food justifies the rating of best breakfast in Old Town. We then met our 10:00 am
City Tour on a golf cart. We toured three areas: Old Town, the Jewish Quarter, and the Jewish Ghetto area. We saw a lot of sights along the way including John Paul II’s two homes and the University attended, Churches and Public buildings, the unique architecture of 18th-19th century Kazimierz, and the Jewish Quarter that contrasts the Medieval areas of Old Town. We then crossed the Bridge to the Jewish Ghetto built when the Jews were forced to leave Kazimierz and live in the new Ghetto. The final sight of the Tour was at Oskar Schindler's Factory. We chose to get off there as we had 12:40 entry tickets for a tour. We had a Coca-Cola break at the nice Cafe across from the Factory Museum until our Tour met. The
Oskar Schindler's Factory Museum tour was well designed and covers the history of Kraków’s German Occupation from pre-war to post-war for both Poles and Jews. Everything is well documented as you move chronologically from room to room with displays and photographs. The decor including floors and lighting reflects a location or event…old town square, train station, ghetto, the factory office, and more. IMHO the best Museum or Tour we did in Kraków. We took a
Bolt Taxi back to our hotel area and had a nice meal at
Kuchnia u Babci Maliny Restaurant-Bar. They have a unique old-world dining room but we chose to eat on the sidewalk with a lovely view of the beautiful Opera House across the street (photo). We shared Potato Pancakes, Pan-Fried Pierogi, and Polish Pork Chop with Potatoes. The food was very good. We then retired for a nap during the heat of the day as we had learned to do. At about 8:00 pm we went on a walkabout…I had a Polish Vodka shooter and then picked up some small gifts at the Sukiennice Market. While there we took an outdoor table at the Sukiennice Restaurant. We ordered a Cheese Plate to share, Hugo Spritzer, and I had the liter Pilsner Urquell. Once the weather cools it is wonderful and so many people to see in the main Square. Returning to the hotel we had a nightcap in the Garden area of our hotel. It was again midnight when we retired—a busy and great final day in Kraków.
Day Six - July 19th, 2024 -- Kraków Poland to Vienna Austria
Day Seven - Saturday, July 20th, 2024 -- Vienna Austria
We were up very early as we were to do the Hallstatt excursion, but I asked if we could do it tomorrow
and they agreed. We were able to be at the Hofburg and the opening of the Sissi Tour of the Palace at 9:00 am opening. It was a museum about the life of Elizabeth, the Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary, and the Palace Apartments of that period. It is very nice to beat the tour groups and walk during the cool part of the day. We did some shoe shopping then visited the Capuchin Church and visited the Royal Crypts the final resting place of the Hapsburg Emperors. While there we purchased tickets for a concert later tonight. It is very conveniently located just across from our hotel. When we returned to the hotel we were upgraded to a better room due to our room not cooling. We had a busy morning and into the new room by noon. Cloudy and cooler today for our afternoon walkabout. We went to St. Stephen’s Cathedral only a 5-minute walk and explored that busy area. We found a cozy cafe: Ombra with a nice view of the Johannes-Gutenberg-Monument. The menu was German only, but our waiter happened to be an American. Nice visiting with her and the food was excellent...DW had Pesto Pasta and I had a Beef in a Red Wine Sauce with Pasta. We strolled back on the very busy Pedestrian Street enjoying an ice come cone. At about 6:00 pm we returned to the Capuchin Church for a 6:30 Classical Music concert: A Little Night Music. It’s the thing to do in Vienna, we did two on the last visit, but this will be the only one this time. It was a String Quartet and we sat down in the front so close and intimate. It was a nice experience. We relaxed the rest of the evening although I later went out for the same street-food Sausage I had yesterday. It was a great day in Vienna Austria.
Day Eight - Sunday, July 21st, 2024 -- Vienna Austria — Hallstatt Day Trip A good night's sleep in the cooler room. We were up early for our long excursion and we bought pastries yesterday for a light breakfast this morning. We were at the meeting location by 7:45 am and on the bus and away by 8:00 am. This is a long 13-hour tour and we had good seats above the back door so good views too. We passed the famous 12th-century Melk Abbey and took a mandatory 30-minute stop at a
very nice Austrian-themed Travel Stop. Our 30+ minute first tourist stop was at
Schloss Ort, an old fortress on Lake Traunsee. Soon we were in
Hallstatt our destination. Hallstatt is a village on Lake Hallstatt's western shore in Austria's mountainous Salzkammergut region. Its 16th-century Alpine houses and alleyways are home to cafes and shops. A funicular railway connects to Skywalk Hallstatt's viewing platform (photo). We had 3.5 hours scheduled here and
we did the funicular first to see the amazing views. We had beers and a light snack at the restaurant on top as well. The Village has a lot of Tourist Shops, Restaurants, Alpine Architecture, and more. We rebounded the bus at 4:30 pm and due to traffic on this beautiful Sunday and our required safety stop, we didn’t make it back to Vienna until about 9:00 pm. We had a snack and packed for our early flight on Monday morning. It was a long but successful trip to the Austrian Alps.
Day Nine - Monday, July 22nd, 2024 -- Vienna Austria — Florence Italy We woke early and finished packing for our early flight. We met our driver at 6:30 am and were soon at the airport. It’s a self-check-in for baggage but we prevailed including the carry-on bag. Our Austrian Air flight was again perfect and we were in Florence at about 10:30 am. Our arranged driver was late but arrived and we were taken to our hotel: Hotel Pitti Palace al Ponte Vecchio. And we were indeed adjacent to the famous Ponte Vecchio Bridge. We were early so we checked our bags and had a good lunch at
Beccafico Ristorante. DW had Fried Polenta with Mushrooms and I had a Salad and Spaghetti with a rich Tomato Sauce. We did a short walkabout across the Bridge enjoying some Gelato and purchasing tickets for the Uffizi Gallery. Our room was worth the wait, a nice mini-suite with a balcony and most importantly cool air-conditioning. There was a cooling rain in the afternoon so we began our long walkabout at about 5:30. We went a few blocks to my favorite Piazzas in Italy: the
Piazza della Signora with the adjacent
Palazzo Vecchio and
Loggia dei Lanzi. We enjoy the open-air Loggia dei Lanzi and its collection of 14-16th century Statuary. Our favorites are
Rape of the Sabine Women and
Perseus Killing Medusa. We then walked through the Piazza della Repubblica stopping at a Joe Malone perfumery on the to the magnificent
Piazza del Duomo dominated by the huge Cathedral. Beautiful location. We returned to Piazza della Signora and enjoyed the
Ristorante dei Perseo on the Piazzo just across from the huge
Fountain of Neptune and of course the views of the 13th century Palace. I enjoyed two Peroni beers and the DW had a Hugo Spritzer and Fetticini with Spinach entree. The views were well worth the pricing. We returned to the hotel for the evening. I later went to the rooftop Wine Bar for a beer and a sunset view over Florence. The air-conditioning in the room is great and the internet is fast so I made further holiday arrangements and reviewed the news. It was a great first day in Italy.
Day Ten - Tuesday, July 23nd, 2024 — Florence Italy It was nice to not have to be anywhere early and I slept well. I was still awake at about 7:00 but that is late for me.
It was nice to not have to be anywhere early and I slept well. I was still awake at about 7:00 but that is late for me. At about 9:00 am we went out and our first stop was for some fresh Croissants for breakfast, We then took a Museum Tour of the Palazzo Vecchio, the Fortified, 13th-century palace housing lavishly decorated chambers & ornate courtyards. We enjoyed a street artist portraying Dante near the Dante Church. He was reading from The Inferno. We stopped for morning refreshments at the Piazza del Duomo then later had Hugo Spritzers at the nearby Uffizi Bar while waiting for our designated 12:45 entry time to The Uffizi Gallery. My first visit to the famous gallery as I was too pressed for time on my previous trips/excursions to Florence. The building itself was built in 1560 by the Medici family then in 1580 they started the Gallery on the upper floors. Of course, it holds one of the top art collections in the world. To me, the highlight is the Renaissance period specifically the artists Botticelli, Caravaggio, Raphael, and Michelangelo. To me, the highlight is the painting: Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli (1580’s) (photo). And a primary reason to add Florence to this European Adventure itinerary. We spent the rest of the day relaxing in our suite until about 6:00 pm when we went to a nice local restaurant just two blocks away: Ristorante Mamma Gina. DW had a Pasta with rich Tomato Sauce similar to what I had yesterday and I ordered the Bistecca Alla Fiorentina a very popular meal in this area and just ‘up my alley’. It’s a Porterhouse T-Bone steak flavored with fresh rosemary, sage, and thyme. It’s also cut uniquely in strips around the bone. It was a great presentation but I did send about half back for more fire. I eat that cut at least twice a week and this was very different than my style…I liked it very much. It was a very cultural and gastronomic day in Florence Italy.
Day Eleven - Wednesday, July 24th, 2024 — Florence to Bologna Italy Just a short 1.5-hour drive down the road is the travel plan for today. We had breakfast on our small balcony this morning before meeting our driver at 9:45 am. We were soon on our way and I enjoyed viewing the Tuscan countryside on our drive north. We arrived earlier than our B&B Apartment (4 units) check-in time but were able to store our luggage at the entry as we met nice departing guests who assisted us. That allowed us to visit the interior of the Basilica di San Petronio before the heat of the day. The most appealing thing to do in Bologna is to enjoy the many famous foods. Just after noon time, we went to La Baita Vecchia Malga a well-known local Deli/Restaurant (phoyo). DW ordered a Caprese Salad and I ordered the Tortellini Bolognese the go-to dish here…options are Tortellini stuffed with meat or Riccada Cheese and a traditional Ragu Sause or Creme Sauce. I went with meat/ragu the most popular choice. It was delicious: however, the Caprese Salad was the best I have ever tasted. Amazingly good, the Mozzarella was perfect—a very successful meal. We tried to walk around the historic area but the 92° heat was too much for us, we waited in the shade until the B&B representative arrived to get us into the room. The room was great with a wonderful view and that cool air felt so good. We spent the rest of the afternoon cool & relaxed. At about 7:00 pm we went out for a walkabout and to eat. We stopped at the Restaurant: Osteria Da Fortunata a traditional Italian-style family restaurant. We had a table inside and the decor was from an older simple Italian style. It reminded me of the place in the Godfather movie. We ordered two antipasti: Burrata Con Bruschetta and the local Prosciutto al Coltello. We had two Pasta courses: Sciavtelli Arrabbiata and Ravioli Con Pomodorini Freschi e Baslico. All was very good. By the time we left the place was packed both inside and outside, we made a good choice. We walked around going by several of the famous Bologna Towers then retired back to the very nice Apartment. It was a learning and eating experience on this hot day in Bologna.
Day Twelve - Thursday, July 25th, 2024 — Bologna to Ravenna Italy Our European adventure is coming to a close as we travel to the final destination of our land-based travels in Ravenna. I slept well and woke early enough to update this blog and prepare for our 10:00 am meeting time for our car to Ravenna. It was an easy comfortable rise and by 11:30 am (3:00 pm is check-in) we were at our hotel: NH Ravenna. We just hoped for luggage storage, but Nicole at the desk asked us to sit for a few minutes and soon she had a room for us. Great for us and we avoided the waiting we did yesterday. We were in our room before noon then away to explore. Ravenna is a great old city with eight UNESCO-designated sights. I doubt a few other cities have that many. This was originally an old Roman city and has many buildings dating to the 5th Century. Most of the UNESCO dights are Churches, Baptistries, or Chapels with ornate original mosaics (photo) dating to the 450s-550s AD, They are amazing and beautiful. We were fortunate to be able to see four of them. We also visited Dante’s final Home, Museum, and Moseleum and took several Coca-Cola breaks at cafes during the day. It was another hot day but we were getting cooling breezes off the sea that helped us today. We retired to the hotel just after 3:00 pm as we had been doing all this trip to avoid the heat. At about 7:00 we walked 4 minutes to Osteria il Paiola a local family-owned restaurant featuring food from Romagroli this local area. We shared a Tavolozza romagnola affettati, formaggi e confettura (charcuterie tray of cheeses, sliced meats, and more) I couldn’t begin to explain our two entrees, but they were unique and delicious. We were quite full but couldn’t resist an ice creme on the walk back. The central historic district is very nice and we both enjoyed Ravenna more than Bologna. It was a magical day in Ravenna.
We woke at about 7:00 am in the City of Ravenna and enjoyed a nice breakfast in our hotel restaurant. It was then just a short wait for our 9:45 Shuttle (€15pp). We were at the Cruise Terminal at about 10:15 am and dropped luggage, went through Security, and checked in by 10:30 am. Then just a half hour wait before boarding the ship at about 11:00 am. It was a very easy process all morning. We dropped our carry-on bags in the cabin on Deck 9, picked up our Cabin Cards, and then went up to Deck 10 and the Sunset Bar. We had some Diet Coca-Cola and complementary Procesco when a bartender remembered me from my previous cruise on the Connie. We sat facing aft enjoying the Sea Breeze ... we then both ate Salad & Pizza from the Oceanview Cafe (Lido Buffet). They had Bread Pudding in the desert area, it was good. We did our Muster Station at about 1:00 pm then went to the cabin when they officially opened. We have a nice extended Balcony Cabin near the aft elevators that makes it easy to access both the Sunset Bar and the Oceanview Cafe. The cabin was nice and cool with adequate storage for two people. We began set up and were pleased to see our luggage delivered between 2:00-3:00 pm. All is well for our vacation from our vacation. We relaxed all afternoon and watched our 5:00 pm sail way from our balcony. At about 6:30 we went up to the Oceanview Cafe for dinner. DW got an assortment of Hummus and some fresh Vegetables. I had a nice mixed vegetable Stir-fry plate with Beef & Chicken. I also sampled the Lamb with Mint Jelly and the Tilapia. The Dessert Station was decorated with a Cake (photo) and the Flan was good as was a bowl of Ice Creme. Everything was quite good. We did a short walkabout and retired early for Cabin Time. This has been the easiest day of our trip to date.
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